Vehicle-top



(No Model.)

B. LENNEY. VEHICLE TOP.

No. 556,580. Patented Ma, 7, 1896.

ANDREW EGRAHAM. PHUTO-LWNOYWASMNGTOMD C,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDIVARD LENNEY, OF POTSDAM, NET/V YORK.

VEHICLE-TOP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,580, dated March 17, 1896. Application filed January 3, 1896. Serial No. 5%,227. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD LENNEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Potsdam, in the county of St. Lawrence, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Tops, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to an improvement in vehicle-tops; and its object is to provide a top for wagons, carriages and sleighs which may be readily applied to or removed from the vehicle, which when removed may be folded into a very small compass and occupy a minimum amount of space, and which may be adjusted without necessitating skilled labor or special tools to different sizes of vehicle-boxes.

The invention therefore consists in the wagon, carriage, sleigh or other vehicle top, as hereinafter referred to in the schedule of claims hereto appended.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the body of a wagon with my invention applied. Fig. 2 is a View of the device folded. Fig. 3 shows a detail of the connection between the roof and one of the upright standards whereby the roof is supported. Fig. 4 is a detail view of a metal standard to take the place of the wooden posts or standards.

In the drawings, A represents the body of a wagon or other vehicle, which may be of ordinary and well-known construction, and B are the side rails on the inside of the wagonbox.

0 represents a series of upright standards or posts, preferably beveled off at their lower ends, as shown, to rest on the body of the wagon, these uprights having secured to them in the inside a rail or beam D. This maybe continuous and is arranged in a plane above the lower end of the posts. It has at either end or at more frequent intervals, if desired, downwardly-depending spring-clips a, which clamp upon the under side of the side rail inside the box, and by this arrangement the top may be easily removed from or replaced in position.

Near the upper end of the posts or uprights is secured a second continuous beam or rail,

D, on the outside. The roof of the vehicletop is formed of two sections, as shown, and each section is formed of a series of ribs E, pivoted at one end to the respective posts or standards 0 and at their opposite ends or apex of the roof are pivotally secured together. The pivotal connections herein shown are independent screw-bolts Z) and nuts 0; but it will be understood that any means of suitably pivotin g the roof-sections together and to the upright standards or posts may be provided, and I do not wish to be limited to the particular connections shown. The framework of the roof-sections is completed bya series of slats (Z extending from end to end, and a waterproof covering is placed over the sides and roof in the ordinary way.

I have provided a special means for supporting the roof, which possesses certain advantages in the way of simplifying and lessening the cost of construction, viz: Each upright post or standard 0 at its upper end is reduced in thickness, as shown, forming a shoulder e, inclined upwardly toward the interior of the top, so that when the roof is in normal position the ribs E at their outer ends will rest firmly on the mortised shoulders. The top may be adjusted to varying widths of boxes bysimply changing the angle of the roof-sections by swinging on the pivots at the apex, and I may provide stays f with a series of openings fitting over the end pivots g h for holding the roof-sections fixed in their adjusted position. These stays are, however, not essential, for when the upright pieces are fastened securely to a wagon-box the top sections are held firmly in such position as to allow the upright pieces to fit the box and the top sections cannot be moved until the uprights are moved, thus giving an automatic adjustment of the whole top.

I am aware that it is not new to provide an adjustable removable wagon-top; but in the constructions which have'been heretofore proposed either the bows are taken out separately and the cover taken from them every time the top is removed or placed on the wagon, making the work of adjusting the top slow and unhandy, or other defects are present, making the device objectionable. In my device, however, the whole frame and cover are removed or applied together and when folded occupies a space of only six or seven inches in width, and the device can therefore be always stowed away without much trouble or danger of being damaged. Furthermore, my arrangement presents various features of advantage in construction which are lacking in other vehicle-tops.

I have shown in Fig. 4 a metal standard or post which I may use, if desired, in place of the wooden posts 0. This consists of the vertical portion 0, having a practicallyhorizontal bend, as shown at 1, to form a support for the outside top rail, and it is then provided with the twisted longitudinally-bent portion 2, upon which the ribs E are pivotally secured by nuts 0. The lower portion of this standard is fastened to the box in the ordinary way, and a shoulder 3 is welded to the upper part of the standard to support the roof, this shoulder being an equivalent to the shoulder e hereinbefore described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The herein-described removable and adjustable vehicle top comprising two side frameworks and a roof composed of two sections pivoted together at one end and at the opposite end to the side frameworks; substantially as described.

2. The herein-described removable and adjustable vehicle-top comprising a series of uprights or posts secured to the vehicle-bod y and a series of top ribs each formed in two sections pivoted together at the center or apex of the top and at their opposite ends to the uprights or posts; substantially as described.

3. The herein-described removable and adjustable vehicle-top comprising a series of uprights or posts secured to the vehicle-body provided near their upper ends with inclined shoulders, and a series of top ribs each formed in two sections pivoted together at the center or apex of the top and at their opposite ends to the uprights or posts and supported 011 said shoulders; substantially as described. 4. A Wagon-top comprising upright posts or standards and cross-slats forming side frames, springclips secured to said side frames and engaging the inside rail of the vehicle, a roof composedof two sections each composed of a series of ribs and cross-slats, the ribs being hinged together and to the uprights whereby the top maybe adjusted, folded and removed; substantially as described. 5. An upright post or standard having an inwardly-bent horizontal portion to support the outside top rail and a longitudinally-bent screw-threaded portion to which the ribs are secured and an inclined shoulder for supporting the roof; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWVARD LENNEY. lVitnesses:

JOHN G. McIN'rYRE, .T. F. BEHAN. 

